Biryani

Due to high demand (and hopefully not unrealistically high expectations), I’m posting the recipe I used to make Biryani.

I have to warn you, however, that this recipe is somewhat…inexact. I’m not a precise cooker and this recipe was interpreted to me from Hindi. That being said, it has been fantastic both times I’ve made it and it isn’t as labor intensive as I feared!

Please let me know if you try it, how it turns out and if you have any suggestions or changes!!!

Directions:
1. Soak chicken in yogurt overnight.
2. In a wok or frying pan, fry one onion on medium heat. When opaque, add ginger and garlic. Fry. Add 2-3 green cardamom pods. Add chicken and spice mix. Stir. Add the keora water, black cardamom and salt. When chicken is sealed but not completely cooked, set mixture aside.
3. In wok (which is now empty), heat oil. Add second onion and fry. Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestel (or a mug with a spoon) to smash 2-3 cardamom pods and the black pepper. Add to pan. Add meat and onion mixture. Add cinnamon stick. Fry for 2-3 minutes.
4. Cook rice in 2 cups water for 10 minutes, or until hard but breakable. Rice should not be fully cooked!
5. Drop 3-4 droplets of red food coloring in a 1/4 cup warm water. Repeat in a separate mug for the yellow. Divide the rice into three bowls and add food coloring to make one bowl of yellow, one red, one plain white. Let rice sit for 10 minutes so the colors don’t run.
6. If baking, grease a large crock pot. If cooking on the stove top, grease a large pasta pot. Using about 1/3 of the rice (all three colors), cover the bottom of the pan. Add 1/3 of the meat and onions. Add 1/3 of the nuts and raisins. Using 1/3 of the rice/meat/nuts each time, you should be able to create 3 layers.
7. Secure a lid onto the pan! If cooking stove top, cook on low-medium for about 25 minutes. If cooking in the oven, cook at 350 F for about 25 minutes. Do not stir! Only take the lid off at the end to check if the meat is done, be careful as there will be tons of steam!
8. Enjoy immediately and serve with plain yogurt.

*These ingredients may be found in the international aisle, a fancy grocery store, or an Indian grocery store.